GB2239835A - Method for manufacturing composite material - Google Patents
Method for manufacturing composite material Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2239835A GB2239835A GB9000599A GB9000599A GB2239835A GB 2239835 A GB2239835 A GB 2239835A GB 9000599 A GB9000599 A GB 9000599A GB 9000599 A GB9000599 A GB 9000599A GB 2239835 A GB2239835 A GB 2239835A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- mould
- stripper plate
- resin
- composite material
- needles
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C33/00—Moulds or cores; Details thereof or accessories therefor
- B29C33/0033—Moulds or cores; Details thereof or accessories therefor constructed for making articles provided with holes
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C33/00—Moulds or cores; Details thereof or accessories therefor
- B29C33/44—Moulds or cores; Details thereof or accessories therefor with means for, or specially constructed to facilitate, the removal of articles, e.g. of undercut articles
- B29C33/442—Moulds or cores; Details thereof or accessories therefor with means for, or specially constructed to facilitate, the removal of articles, e.g. of undercut articles with mechanical ejector or drive means therefor
- B29C33/444—Moulds or cores; Details thereof or accessories therefor with means for, or specially constructed to facilitate, the removal of articles, e.g. of undercut articles with mechanical ejector or drive means therefor for stripping articles from a mould core, e.g. using stripper plates
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C70/00—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts
- B29C70/04—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts comprising reinforcements only, e.g. self-reinforcing plastics
- B29C70/28—Shaping operations therefor
- B29C70/40—Shaping or impregnating by compression not applied
- B29C70/42—Shaping or impregnating by compression not applied for producing articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles
- B29C70/46—Shaping or impregnating by compression not applied for producing articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles using matched moulds, e.g. for deforming sheet moulding compounds [SMC] or prepregs
- B29C70/48—Shaping or impregnating by compression not applied for producing articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles using matched moulds, e.g. for deforming sheet moulding compounds [SMC] or prepregs and impregnating the reinforcements in the closed mould, e.g. resin transfer moulding [RTM], e.g. by vacuum
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29L—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
- B29L2031/00—Other particular articles
- B29L2031/737—Articles provided with holes, e.g. grids, sieves
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Composite Materials (AREA)
- Moulding By Coating Moulds (AREA)
Abstract
A method for manufacturing perforate, fibre-reinforced, composite material the method comprising the steps:- (a) providing a mould comprising a first part having needles, a second part cooperating with the first part to close the mould, and a perforated stripper plate located in use between the first and second parts such that each needle of the first part of the mould passes into a perforation of the stripper plate without sealing the perforation; (b) laying up reinforcing fibres in the first part of the mould, the fibres if desired being impregnated or admixed with resin; (c) positioning the perforations of the stripper plate over the free ends of the needles; (d) assembling the rest of the mould; (e) if required, injecting resin into the mould; (f) curing the resin; and (g) disassembling the mould, the composite material being removed from the needles along with the stripper plate; characterised in that the perforations in the stripper plate have an area greater at the face of the stripper plate adjacent the second part of the mould than at the face of the stripper plate adjacent the first part of the mould. <IMAGE>
Description
METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING COMPOSITE MATERIAL
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing perforate, fibre-reinforced, composite material.
Composite materials are known, wherein a fibre reinforcing material is impregnated with a resin which is cured to give a strong, lightweight material. Such materials are particularly suitable for structures where the low weight to strength ratio may be exploited, for example in aircraft structures.
Conventionally, some lightweight structures are made of lightweight metal alloys and in some of these structures one or more sheets of the structure are perforate to provide sound attenuation.
Such perforate sheets are found, for example, on the face of blocker doors in jet engines. These perforate metal alloy sheets may be made by known techniques of casting and drilling or punching, and the like. Hitherto, the use of resin-impregnated fibre-reinforced composite materials would not have been thought applicable to the manufacture of such perforate sheets because, drilling or punching fibre-reinforced composite materials would have been expected to break the continuity of the fibres with loss of strength.
Furthermore, such additional processing is time consuming.
If the perforations in the reinforcing fibre material are formed before it is impregnated and cured, by means of needles in a mould, the fibres of the reinforcing fibre material may be parted by the needles rather than being broken, thereby maintaining the continuity of the fibres. This results in a composite material with superior qualities.
A problem often associated with the manufacture of composite materials with intricate'shapes, such as, for example, numerous perforations, is that the material is difficult to remove from the mould. A number of attempts have been made to solve this problem.
For example, United Kingdom Patent Application No. GB2090183A relates to a method of manufacturing a perforate composite material wherein a former is melted to release the composite from the mould.
Such processes may be very time consuming.
GB 2025302A describes a process in which a fibrous sheet is impregnated with liquid resin, and the sheet is then pierced with hot pins so that the resin around the pins is partially cured. The pins are then removed, and the sheet is fully cured by application of further heat.
EP-A-314353 discloses a method for removing a perforate composite from a mould, in which the mould incorporates a stripper plate which withdraws the composite from the mould. In a preferred embodiment, the stripper plate itself contains perforations which, in use, become infiltrated with resin.
We have now found that the device of EP-A-314353 can be adapted to give an even more effective removal of composite from the mould.
According to the present invention there is provided a method for manufacturing perforate, fibre-reinforced, composite material, the method comprising the steps: (a) providing a mould comprising a first part having needles, a
second part cooperating with the first part to close the mould,
and a perforated stripper plate located in use between the
first and second parts such that each needle of the first part
of the mould passes into a perforation of the stripper plate
without sealing the perforation; (b) laying up reinforcing fibres in the first part of the mould,
the fibres if desired being impregnated or admixed with resin; (c) positioning the perforations of the stripper plate over the
free ends of the needles; (d) assembling the rest of the mould; (e) if required, injecting resin into the mould; (f) curing the resin; and (g) dissassembling the mould, the composite material being removed
from the needles along with the stripper plate; characterised in that the perforations in the stripper plate have an area greater at the face of the stripper plate adjacent the second part of the mould than at the face of the stripper plate adjacent the first part of the mould.
During the process of the invention, liquid resin flows around the needles and infiltrates into the perforations of the stripper plate. After the resin has been cured, the perforations of the stripper plate contain plugs of resin which, because they are larger where they are closer to the second part of the mould than they are where they are closer to the first part of the mould, cannot slip out of the stripper plate when the stripper plate is lifted away from the first part of the mould. As the plugs of resin are attached to the fibre-reinforced composite material, the material is lifted out of the mould along with the stripper plate.
In the arrangement described in EP-A-314353, where the perforations in the stripper plate are of constant cross-section, plugs of resin are formed which are cylindrical in shape. Under some circumstances, adhesion to the part of the mould containing the needles can occasionally be greater than adhesion to the stripper plate. The plugs of resin can then slip out of the perforations of the stripper plate, and it becomes virtually impossible to remove the fibre-reinforced material from the mould without damaging it. A further disadvantage of the arrangement of EP-A-314353 is that, after removal of composite from the mould, holes of the stripper plate are filled with resin. When the holes have parallel sides, these plugs of resin can be very difficult to remove, which is of considerable economic importance in some applications involving thousands of holes.When the holes of the stripper plate are tapered as in the present invention, the plugs of resin are much easier to remove.
The stripper plate should be rigid, and may be made of any material sufficiently strong to enable the plate to be removed from the first part of the mould after curing of the resin, along with the composite material. Preferably the part is made of metal.
After curing, it may be removed from the first part of the mould by any suitable means. It may for example be levered out, or pulled out by hooks or ropes fastened to suitable attachment means located on the stripper plate.
When carrying out the process of the invention, the fibres may if desired already be impregnated with resin when laid up in the mould. Such resin may be liquid, or a powdered resin which may be melted prior to using. If desired, threads of thermoplastic resin may be present along with the reinforcing fibres. Such threads can be melted prior to using. Once the mould is closed, additional resin may be injected if required. Preferably, however, for ease of handling, the fibres are not impregnated with resin when laid up in the mould. All the resin is injected after closing of the mould.
The fibres laid up in the mould may be loose fibres, or they may be bonded together. Alternatively, they may be knitted or woven to form a cloth.
The fibres may be, for example, glass, carbon, Aramid (Trade
Mark), nylon and the like.
The resin may be any curable resin, for example, epoxy resin, bismaleimide resin, phenolic resin, polyester resin, vinyl ester resin, methacrylate resin, acrylate resin, polystyryl pyridine resin, and the like.
By curing it is intended to include known curing processes, for example heating in a controlled manner. It is also intended to include part-curing processes wherein the resin is only partly cured prior to removal from the mould; the resultant perforate fibrereinforced composite material then being further cured.
According to the present invention there is also provided a mould for manufacturing perforate, fibre-reinforced, composite material, the mould being capable of receiving reinforcing fibre material and resin to be moulded'into a fibre-reinforced, composite material, the mould comprising a first part having needles, a second part cooperating in use with the first part to close the mould, and a perforated stripper plate located in use between the first and second parts, such that each needle of the first part of the mould passes into a perforation of the stripper plate without sealing the perforation; the arrangement being such that, in use, reinforcing fibres and resin may be laid up in the first part of the mould, and after curing of the resin, the finished composite material may be removed from the mould along with the stripper plate; characterised in that the perforations in the stripper plate have an area greater at the face of the stripper plate adjacent the second part of the mould than at the face of the stripper plate adjacent the first part of the mould.
The needles may be made of nylon, metal or any suitable material which is capable of withstanding the process conditions, and may be of any suitable shape. Buckling of the needles when the mould is assembled is prevented by suitable design taking into account such factors as the stiffness of the needle, the required aspect ratio and the reinforcing fibre material density. Most preferably, the needles are tapered. The reinforcing fibres should be laid up around the needles in the first part part of the mould in such a way that the needles part the fibres without breaking them, thus producing a high-strength product.
According to the present invention there is also provided a perforate, fibre-reinforced, composite material whenever manufactured by the method as herein before described.
It is envisaged that the perforate, fibre-reinforced, composite material of this invention may be used in applications requiring lightweight structures of high strength with sound attenuation properties, for example, face sheets of blocker doors. However, numerous other applications will be apparent and these may include, by way of example, sieve trays for distillation columns, sieves, panels for use in aircraft, ships and the like.
The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a sectional view of an unassembled mould according to the invention;
Figure 2 shows an enlarged view of the use of the mould of figure 1 in the preparation of perforate composite material.
The mould of figure 1 comprises a first part (1) forming the base of the mould and a second part 2 forming the top of the mould.
The first part (1) is provided with a plurality of needles (3), while the second part (2) is provided with a port (4) for resin injection, vacuum ports (5) for removal of air, and a cut-away portion (6). A stripper plate (7) lies between parts (1) and (2), and has a plurality of perforations (8). Each perforation (8) is larger at the face (9) of the stripper plate (7) adjacent the second part (2) of the mould than at the face (10) of the stripper plate (7) adjacent the first part (1).
In use, the mould of figure 1 is assembled as shown in figure 2. Fibres (11) are laid up in the first part (1) of the mould, around the needles (3). The mould is then assembled as shown, resin is injected through port (4), and air is removed via vacuum ports (5). The resin (12) infiltrates the perforations (8) of the stripper plate (7) and fills the cut-away portion (6) of the second part (2) of the mould. Once resin addition is complete, the resin is cured. After curing, the second part (2) of the mould is removed. The stripper plate (7) is removed, whereby the cured fibre-reinforced resin is pulled away from the needles (3). The fibre-reinforced resin may be removed from the stripper plate (7) by, for example, passing thin wire across the surface (10) of the stripper plate.
Claims (4)
1. A method for manufacturing perforate, fibre-reinforced, composite material, the method comprising the steps: (a) providing a mould comprising a first part having needles, a
second part cooperating with the first part to close the mould,
and a perforated stripper plate located in use between the
first and second parts such that each needle of the first part
of the mould passes into a perforation of the stripper plate
without sealing the perforation; (b) laying up reinforcing fibres in the first part of the mould,
the fibres if desired being impregnated or admixed with resin; (c) positioning the perforations of the stripper plate over the
free ends of the needles; (d) assembling the rest of the mould; (e) if required, injecting resin into the mould; (f) curing the resin; and (g) dissassembling the mould, the composite material being removed
from the needles along with the stripper plate; characterised in that the perforations in the stripper plate have an area greater at the face of the stripper plate adjacent the second part of the mould than at the face of the stripper plate adjacent the first part of the mould.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which the stripper plate is made of metal.
3. A mould for manufacturing perforate, fibre-reinforced, composite material, the mould being capable of receiving reinforcing fibre material and resin to be moulded into a fibre-reinforced, composite material, the mould comprising a first part having needles, a second part cooperating in use with the first part to close the mould, and a perforated stripper plate located in use between the first and second parts, such that each needle of the first part of the mould passes into a perforation of the stripper plate without sealing the perforation; the arrangement being such that, in use, reinforcing fibres and resin may be laid up in the first part of the mould, and after curing of the resin, the finished composite material may be removed from the mould along with the stripper plate; characterised in that the perforations in the stripper plate have an area greater at the face of the stripper plate adjacent the second part of the mould than at the face of the stripper plate adjacent the first part of the mould.
4. A mould as claimed in claim 3, in which the stripper plate is made of metal.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9000599A GB2239835A (en) | 1990-01-11 | 1990-01-11 | Method for manufacturing composite material |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9000599A GB2239835A (en) | 1990-01-11 | 1990-01-11 | Method for manufacturing composite material |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB9000599D0 GB9000599D0 (en) | 1990-03-14 |
| GB2239835A true GB2239835A (en) | 1991-07-17 |
Family
ID=10669119
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9000599A Withdrawn GB2239835A (en) | 1990-01-11 | 1990-01-11 | Method for manufacturing composite material |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2239835A (en) |
Cited By (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1993022128A1 (en) * | 1992-05-01 | 1993-11-11 | Martin Marietta Corporation | High temperature resistant perforated polymer composite material and method for making same |
| EP0924329A1 (en) * | 1997-12-17 | 1999-06-23 | Österreichische Heraklith GmbH | Device and process for needling nonwoven fabrics to produce an insulation mat |
| WO2009109863A3 (en) * | 2008-03-07 | 2010-05-20 | Giuseppe Meli | Device and method for the production of cellular materials |
| WO2012093414A1 (en) * | 2011-01-07 | 2012-07-12 | Ecolatex S.R.L. | A method for manufacturing a latex mattress or the like with a honeycomb structure, and a mattress or the like obtained thereby |
| DE102012108168A1 (en) | 2012-09-03 | 2014-04-03 | Benteler Sgl Gmbh & Co. Kg | Molding tool useful for manufacturing of fiber composite components, preferably for producing a preform, comprises upper tool which is closed and lower tool having a mold cavity for arranging a fibrous material |
| WO2014121992A1 (en) * | 2013-02-07 | 2014-08-14 | Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft | Method for producing a fiber-reinforced plastic component |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN108237652A (en) * | 2016-12-27 | 2018-07-03 | 北京橡胶工业研究设计院有限公司 | It is a kind of to open mold device for specific type rubber |
-
1990
- 1990-01-11 GB GB9000599A patent/GB2239835A/en not_active Withdrawn
Cited By (8)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1993022128A1 (en) * | 1992-05-01 | 1993-11-11 | Martin Marietta Corporation | High temperature resistant perforated polymer composite material and method for making same |
| EP0924329A1 (en) * | 1997-12-17 | 1999-06-23 | Österreichische Heraklith GmbH | Device and process for needling nonwoven fabrics to produce an insulation mat |
| WO2009109863A3 (en) * | 2008-03-07 | 2010-05-20 | Giuseppe Meli | Device and method for the production of cellular materials |
| US8343404B2 (en) | 2008-03-07 | 2013-01-01 | Giuseppe Meli | Method for the production of cellular materials |
| WO2012093414A1 (en) * | 2011-01-07 | 2012-07-12 | Ecolatex S.R.L. | A method for manufacturing a latex mattress or the like with a honeycomb structure, and a mattress or the like obtained thereby |
| DE102012108168A1 (en) | 2012-09-03 | 2014-04-03 | Benteler Sgl Gmbh & Co. Kg | Molding tool useful for manufacturing of fiber composite components, preferably for producing a preform, comprises upper tool which is closed and lower tool having a mold cavity for arranging a fibrous material |
| DE102012108168B4 (en) | 2012-09-03 | 2018-04-05 | Benteler Sgl Gmbh & Co. Kg | Forming tool and method for the production of fiber composite components |
| WO2014121992A1 (en) * | 2013-02-07 | 2014-08-14 | Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft | Method for producing a fiber-reinforced plastic component |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB9000599D0 (en) | 1990-03-14 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |